Читать книгу Walking in the Dordogne. 35 walking routes in the Dordogne - Sarlat, Bergerac, Lalinde and Souillac онлайн

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Covered market hall at Montclard (Walk 9)

The bastide towns were not originally fortified, and it was only when the conflict between the French and English intensified that they became a means of securing the land along the frontier. In 1337, when the French king confiscated all land held by the English crown, the Hundred Years’ War began, and Périgord was fought over bitterly in a series of battles. Towns and castles continually changed hands as first one side then the other gained the upper hand until finally, in 1451, Bordeaux fell into French hands and the English were decisively beaten two years later at the Battle of Castillon on the Dordogne river. Périgord became a possession of the French crown, and England lost all its lands in France, except for Calais and the Channel Isles.

The region was left impoverished and depopulated, plague and famine causing as many deaths as the war. Further disruption broke out in the Wars of Religion in the 1500s as the new Protestant thinking attracted many in the area, especially in Bergerac. Catholics rose up in protest, and bitter battles ensued between the different towns for religious dominance, Périgueux and Sarlat remaining staunchly Catholic. This discord continued for almost 30 years until the Edict of Nantes in 1598 gave Protestants the same freedom to worship and hold office as Catholics. However, this was revoked in 1685, causing many Protestant Huguenots to flee the country.